Robot 6

Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Conventions | A survey commissioned by the San Diego Convention Center Corp. reveals that Comic-Con International’s 130,000 or so attendees pour a whopping $163 million into the local economy — quadruple what was previously thought. Surprisingly, this is the first official estimate of the event’s financial impact. But as impressive as that figure is, convention center officials point out it doesn’t take into account the money spent by the roughly 50 percent of con-goers who don’t stay in hotels.

The survey’s results were disclosed just as Comic-Con organizers are set to decide whether to remain in San Diego, or move to Anaheim or Los Angeles, after their contract expires in 2012 with the convention center. [The San Diego Union-Tribune]

SuicideGirls

Conventions | The founder of SuicideGirls claims the website is banned from “having a significant presence” at Comic-Con, supposedly because adult-only SuicideGirls DVDs were purchased at WonderCon without the seller checking IDs. However, Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer insists the group isn’t banned. “My understanding is that SuicideGirls didn’t have a booth and there is a 400+ waiting list,” he said. [LA Weekly]

Publishing | There’s been much debate this week whether DC Comics is, indeed, the first publisher “to announce a participation plan for talent” for digital sales. Heidi MacDonald reports that on Monday, just two days before DC revealed its entry into digital distribution and the accompanying royalty program, Marvel sent a letter to its exclusive talent announcing an incentive plan. [The Beat]

Publishing | Hermes Press will collect comics based on Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon published in the late 1940s and early 1950s by Harvey Comics and Dell Comics. The first volume will debut in summer 2011. [ICv2.com]

Retailing | Torpedo Comics, the online comics store launched in 2007 by System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan, is auctioning its inventory and domain name to pay creditors. [The Beat]

Retailing | Canada’s Strange Adventures, which already has stores in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Fredericton, New Brunswick, has opened a third location in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. [Halifax News Net]

Mike Mignola

Creators | Mike Mignola discusses the Hellboy universe and his plans to return to drawing the character he created: “I really enjoy collaborating, so it’s been very easy to spend years without drawing my own comics. But I don’t want to be just a writer; I want to get back to drawing the comic. And this place we are with Hellboy, wrapping up the storyline, is the natural place for me to step back in, although I’ll continue to co-write everything else. I’ve known for years what this next period of Hellboy will be. It will be a brand new chapter. The Storm will be an ending of everything we’ve read about Hellboy up until now. It’s going to be a clean slate when I jump in.” [The List]

Creators | Artist Michael Lark about The Amazing Spider-Man, superhero movies, and which is harder to draw — New York cityscapes or the webs on Spider-Man’s costume: “I’ve gotten to the point where I try to avoid drawing those cityscapes as much as possible. I’ll draw a foreground building or two, but for a big cityscape, I’ll just manipulate a photo. It’s really just a pattern. It’s something that’s so much more accurately done with something mechanical than it is by hand. So, yeah, those webs are a pain, because they have to follow the contours of his body accurately. It’s tough to do.” [D Magazine]

Bill Karis

Michael

KMFA the Prowler, There are plenty of people out there who will gladly draw all of the backgrounds and not serve up some cheap cop out that anyone with a $20 camera and a pirated copy of Photoshop can do.

And about 20 people know or care who the hell Wally Wood was. Maybe his unoriginality and willingness to phone it in whenever possible played a part in that. Thunder agents? Yeah, that’s an iconic piece of Americana.

the Prowler

Michael, the more opinions you spout the more your ignorance shows. Twenty people knowing of / caring about Wally Wood? Son, even though Wally Wood has been dead for nearly thirty years now he still brings more joy and delight to this world every day than you will in your entire miserable, whining-over-a-fine-artist’s-backgrounds life. Wally Wood drew hundreds if not thousands of pages of straight-up visual crack for the likes of E.C. Comics and Mad Magazine, back in the day when comics still had print-runs in the millions. Wally Wood was honored for his labors with induction into the Jack Kirby & Will Eisner Hall of Fame. Real artists and creators trying to break into the field of comics still seek his work out because of its timeless quality. Conclusion: not only did Wally Wood produce iconic pieces of Americana – but he himself is an icon of Americana.

Please refrain from slandering said icon any further, you ridiculous waste of space.

Michael

Michael

“T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is the first example of Wally Wood’s work that comes to your mind? Let me guess, you think superhero is end-all and be-all when it comes to comics, right?”

And let me guess, TinTin and V for Vendetta are the world’s greatest example of comics, right? You’re so sophisticated and wordly because you think Superman is for children. Go have a Latte and grow up a little.

I haven’t read enough Tintin books to make a judgment like that. (I think the last time I read a Tintin book was some time around 1985.) As for Alan Moore’s work, I prefer From Hell to V For Vendetta.

“You’re so sophisticated and wordly because you think Superman is for children.”

Where did I mention Superman? I’m just saying that mentioning T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents as the only example of a man who was responsible for such a wealth of wonderful EC Comics stories shows a definite lack of knowledge about comics history.

“Go have a Latte and grow up a little.”

You’re probably not old enough to know it firsthand, but when a human being reaches a certain age, he or she stops growing up and begins growing old. At my age, I couldn’t grow up even if I wanted to.